Funding for project -Hong Kong Mental Health Projects Evaluation

Dr. Herman LO, Associate Professor the Department of Applied Social Sciences, has received funding (Application ID A0040790) for the proposal title “Hong Kong Mental Health Projects Evaluation”.   Project brief The Save the Children Hong Kong (SCHK) has launched the “Hong Kong Mental Health Projects” that have sponsored 27 intervention programmes from nine partner NGOs between July 2020 and March 2022.  All programmes are based on at least one of the three objectives: (1) to improve mental health awareness and acceptance of mental health issues among children and youth; (2) to drive early detection and treatment for children and youth who are impacted by mental illness; and (3) to strengthen the capacity of parents, teachers and social workers to support children & youth in need.    To evaluate the effectiveness of these programmes and to foster learning among NGO partners who are using different approaches in promoting child and youth mental health, SCHK is collaborating with the PolyU research team which is headed up by Dr. Herman LO and Dr. Yam KONG. A mixed methods study integrating participant's ratings of outcomes and interviews of project staff, parent and child who joined the programmes will be conducted. Findings and recommendations will be released around July 2022 and hopefully such collaboration can generate new knowledge and evidence that can inform the mental health service and policy in Hong Kong. 

PolyU Faculty Seminar Series held on 17 May 2022

The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS) Seminar Series was successfully held in the evening on 17 May 2022. Over 10 distinguished academics from different departments, including the Faculty Dean, Department Head / Associate Heads, and other departmental members, were invited to share important information about admissions to PolyU via the online seminar. More than 320 participants, mostly students and their parents, joined the event. The participants were able to gain pertinent knowledge and a broader perspective from the seminar about admissions to the University and the Faculty's programs. This knowledge would help them set their academic goals early, and eventually prepare them for a fruitful academic and career development. Report of the seminar can be found in the web link:  https://www.polyu.edu.hk/media/media-releases/2022/0504_polyu-to-launch-faculty-seminar-series-featuring-deans-and-heads/

Prof Sylvia CHEN received Outstanding International Psychologist Award

Prof. Sylvia CHEN, Associate Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, was selected to receive the Outstanding International Psychologist Award conferred by the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 52 (International Psychology).   The Outstanding International Psychologist Awards recognize outstanding contributions to international psychology through significant research, teaching, advocacy, and/or contributions to international organizations. An award is given to a psychologist from the United States and to a psychologist from outside the United States.   Congratulation to Prof. CHEN on her latest award.

Prof. David SHUM and Dr Judy SIU were featured on RTHK TV programme

Prof. SHUM and Dr SIU were interviewed on RTHK TV programme “Anti-pandemic News Express” broadcast on 4 June 2022 on various topics. Prof. David SHUM, Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, and Dr Judy SIU, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, elaborated their study about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by the pandemic.   Online coverage: RTHK –  https://www.rthk.hk/tv/dtt32/programme/antiepidemicnewsexpress/episode/817355 (Episode no. 107 - Prof. Shum / Dr Judy Siu: 10:20 – 22:49) 

Career Talk for APSS Students Talk 2

Over 50 participants have joined the second APSS Career Talk which was held on 27 May 2022 by APSS Student and Alumni Affairs Committee (SAAC). SAAC has invited 3 APSS alumni speakers to share their individual career path: Ms. Carman LEE, an alumnus of BA (Hons) Social Policy and Administration, is the co-founder of the digital marketing agency R-Digital. Ms. Natalie HO, an alumnus of BA (Hons) Social Work, the founder of Daylily Garden Family Education Centre which is an education centre for children. Ms. Helen FOK, an alumnus of BA (Hons) Social Policy and Administration, has become an Executive Officer at the HKSAR Government. Our student participants were actively engaged in the Q&A sessions.  A heartfelt thank you to our alumni!

PolyU research reveals over 10% residents exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms one year after the onset of the pandemic

Prof. David SHUM, Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (FHSS) and Dr. Judy SIU, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences reported the latest findings of a study on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Hong Kong residents.   They surveyed more than 3,000 residents during the fourth wave of the coronavirus outbreak between December 2020 and February 2021 and found that 12.4 per cent of respondents showed signs of PTSD and those with lower level of education, were unemployed or lacked a source of income were found to be vulnerable. Online coverage: TVB - https://polyu.me/3LKKGlG RTHK - https://polyu.me/3NB9Sws (English); https://polyu.me/3GiKj0P (Chinese) Commercial Radio - https://polyu.me/3LPDMf0 Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3MLXoCd Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3NDbMNa Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3GhZ2Je Sky Post - https://polyu.me/3NDbNAI am730 - https://polyu.me/3GhjRVf Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3sYGBnk Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/38jrspN South China Morning Post - https://polyu.me/3yWgpOd The Standard - https://polyu.me/3LLeoqE Hong Kong Free Press - https://polyu.me/3sS29SE BizWire Express - https://polyu.me/3wMsrbl HK01 - https://polyu.me/3MKDwza Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/39ViaRi The Epoch Times - https://polyu.me/3NCE0ri Radio Free Asia - https://polyu.me/3wO8Mqh Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/3lFz3Sr Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3wKCHRq Lianhe Zaobao - https://polyu.me/3sYcvk0

“A Study on the Social Service Projects under the Covid-19 in P.R.C." is supported by Keswick Foundation Limited

China and Global Development Network has been awarded an external grant of RMB1,485,000 to conduct a research to examine the insights from the social workers and to explore the innovative service models during this unique period.

Career Talk for APSS Students Talk 1

The first APSS Career Talk was held on 19 May 2022 by APSS Student and Alumni Affairs Committee (SAAC). The talk aims to help APSS students reach their career goals and prepare for their future career paths. APSS invited 3 practitioners: Mr. Carlos CHUNG (Executive Director of Youth Outreach), Mr. Jason LAM (Assistant Executive Director of Youth Outreach) and Ms. Vicky WONG (Senior Occupational Therapist of Yan Chai Hospital Social Services Department), to share professional insights with our participants and to let our participants have a better understanding of the industry trends and job opportunities available in the market.

APSS student shares his football journey with media

Mr. James In Chim TANG, our BASPSE student and professional soccer player, shared his football journey in a media interview.   James was admitted through PolyU Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme to Marketing initially, but decided to take the Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship programme instead as he wanted to study something to broaden his horizons.   The midfielder of Hong Kong Premier League team HK U23 said he used to practise football in the morning and study at school in the afternoon, until the pandemic upset his routine. As such, James seizes every chance to continue to practise and strives to become a better footballer.   Online coverage: Inmediahk - https://polyu.me/3vYs3Gr

Promoting Positive Youth Development Around the World: Models, Measures, and Making Contributions to Social Justice

The fourth APSS International Scholar Talk Series   Prof. Richard M. LERNER, the Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and the Director of the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, gave a talk on 29 April, 2022.   After the talk, Prof. Daniel SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor, and Dr. Lu YU, Associate Head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, joined the discussion on youth who have experienced adversity or trauma. Over 120 participants attended the online presentation.